Evaluation of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Ergonomic Risk Factors Among Office Workers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran

Abstract

Background: Ergonomic risk factors are among the critical risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in office workers. Objectives: This study investigated the MSD prevalence and the ergonomic risk factors of staff workstations at Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS), Kashan, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021. The samples were the office workers of KAUMS who had more than one year of work experience and worked with computers for at least 3 hours a day on average. The samples were selected using the stratified sampling method, and finally, 132 employees participated in the study. The data were collected using the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and the rapid office strain assessment (ROSA) checklist. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman’s correlation, and non-parametric regression tests by SPSS software (version 26). Results: The mean age of the participants was 40.16 ± 7.79 years, and 62.9% of the subjects were female. Female subjects complained significantly more about MSDs than male subjects (P < 0.05). The most widely recognized MSDs were neck, lower back, and upper back pain. Disorders in the right-sided upper limb were essentially more frequent than in the left (P < 0.05). All chairs, 62.1% of the monitors-telephones, and 90.9% of the mouses-keyboards in workstations were in a warning or dangerous condition. The scores of MSDs in the vertebral column, shoulder girdle, forearm, lower back, and lower limbs were fundamentally related to the ROSA score in the monitor section. Conclusions: The most widely recognized MSDs among office workers were neck, lower back, and upper back pain, respectively. Female employees had more MSDs. All workstations (100%) were in an unsafe position, and the MSDs of the vertebral column, shoulder girdle, forearm, lower back, and lower organ were related to the position of the monitors. Accordingly, corrective interventions, particularly the adjustment of monitor placement in office workstations, are fundamental.